A Doctor's Love
by Fictionnaire
Summary: The DiNardo/Benoit life... Tony's body has trouble keeping up with the double life and becomes sick. Can Tony keep up the DiNardo persona while sick? And the Director's Conspiratal web grows. Warning! DiNozzo/Benoit pairing.
1. Chapter 1

_**A Doctor's Love**_

Doing secret undercover work and carrying out his normal NCIS agent duties were taking its toll on Tony. He always liked to come across as a super agent, but the lying and keeping up the DiNardo persona were sneaking up on him. He had woken up feeling rather sick to his stomach and had the occasional coughing fit. With a few hard cases still in the works, he didn't have time to sit back and relax. Finally, he thought he had the chance to rest on the weekend. That was shot to hell when suddenly he found out he would have plans that would keep him from that rest.

Tony put on his happy, cheery face for Jeanne when it came to another date. There was more than him self to think about when it came to how he acted. Tony sighed as he waited for the appetizers to arrive. The all too familiar tickle could be felt in his throat.

"Excuse me Jeanne," he set the cloth napkin down on the table and left quickly.

Jeanne nodded. She could clearly see that something was up with her man. Tony looked a little pale and would often turn quiet. That was not the usual way Tony DiNardo acted, his behavior wasn't right. After all she was a doctor and knew patients didn't always say when they didn't feel well. She hoped that because he was her boyfriend that he would trust her enough to say something about how he felt physically. The food arrived at the table just as Tony came back.

"Tony, are you feeling ok?" Jeanne asked as she dug into her Caesar salad. It seemed to take awhile for her quick thinking boyfriend to think of a response.

"I'm good," Tony smiled as he picked at his food. Frankly, he felt like shit. He didn't even feel well enough to eat. His stomach churned when he swallowed a couple of shrimps. Seafood was something that DiNardo liked to eat. That was one of his quirks. Try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to get through half of the shrimp cocktail.

"Loss of appetite?" Jeanne questioned. The doctor in her was coming out, symptoms already ran through her worried head.

"Trying to diagnose me doc?" Tony chuckled sardonically. Unfortunately it was interrupted by a short coughing fit. "Really, let's just have a nice meal," Tony said. He wasn't sure if he could eat a full meal. But his tab was being picked up by the Director's kitty, so he was going to make the most of it.

"Alright," Jeanne didn't look or seem convinced.

"I **am** fine, really." Tony managed to stop himself from snapping, but knew she could see how he reigned in his annoyance.

"I didn't say anything wrong. I'm a doctor, but I'm also your girlfriend." Jeanne defended and pointed with a surprised look on her face, "If I didn't care about you I wouldn't ask." She explained, still shocked at the way he answered her. She decided not to press the issue, but would still keep a close eye on him.

"I'm sorry, really, I just had a hard day at work," He apologized and then continued using a charming smile, "Now, can we start over and have a nice evening?"

Jeanne smiled back at him, his charm always grabbed at her heart. "I'd like that."

Tony kept smiling. Well I got out of that one with my finesse; he proudly thought and went on with the meal. Being Tony DiNardo had many perks, one being he could act how he had always wanted to, and, he didn't have to worry about the money he used to sweep the doctor off her feet.

* * *

It didn't escape Jeanne's eyes that Tony hadn't eaten a lot of the meal. He seemed to be getting progressively worse as time went on. She watched as he played with the food to make it look as if he had eaten more. While Tony cursed people that had eyes that never missed a thing, he paid the bill with the usual smile on his face. He thought he could fool everybody and keep them at bay to think he wasn't sick.

"Are you really ok, Tony?" Jeanne asked for the umpteenth time. "Perhaps I should take you to the hospital," she observed the signs of his fever, the sweaty forehead and slightly red face as well as his glassy eyes. He could pretend all he wanted, but she knew better, after all she was a doctor.

Tony's mind had been drifting off. The mention of the word hospital snapped him to full alert. He couldn't go there. It didn't matter how bad he felt, he couldn't go to the hospital as Tony DiNardo. There'd be questions, there'd be patient history. His eyes shot wide open. "No, no hospital," the mission, the excitement… It'd be all over.

"Tony," Jeanne said in a commanding tone.

"But, Boss," Tony responded. The words were out before he had a chance to stop them. It was the usual way he talked to Gibbs.

"Boss? I can get used to that," Jeanne responded, with a smile.

Tony gave a wry smile in return. Of course, he had to be careful about what he said. "I bet you could," he laughed, covering up his mistake, "I'm sure it's nothing that a good nights sleep won't cure." he said to reassure her before resting his head back.

He tried to swallow down the acid in his stomach that would be followed by food. Tony shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He could feel the nausea as the contents of his stomach churned. He fought to make everything stay down. Once again, he shifted. "Um," the noise he made sounded like a groan.

"Tony?" Jeanne asked. She didn't wait for a response. Instead she maneuvered the car to the side of the road safely. Tony couldn't get out of the car fast enough. He virtually threw him self out of the car and disappeared into the darkness. She debated whether or not to go and chase after him, but decided against it. Maybe it would be better to give him few minutes of privacy. She could hear Tony coughing and gagging. That was when Jeanne decided it would be better to help him out.

It took a moment for Jeanne to find Tony on his hands and knees. He had vomited up his dinner. Now he coughed so hard he couldn't catch his breath, his face red with sweat that trickled down it.

"Oh my God, Tony," she helped him to his feet. She could see the wet patches on Tony's knees. "That doesn't sound too good," Jeanne said, observantly and caught the wetness of his cough. She with all her training he needed help. The fever at dinner, the wet cough and vomit, he had to go to the hospital, but she knew how stubborn her boyfriend could be.

Tony caught his breath and maintained his balance. He adjusted his jacket, but still he felt cold and sick. _Great! I have to play this off. I can't believe my body would betray me like this! _Tony thought to himself. "I think that's better… I got it out of my system. I don't think the food agreed with me," he smiled brightly at Jeanne and hoped that she bought his story only he knew she hadn't.

"If I believed that, I'd lose my medical license," Jeanne helped him to the car. She again did a quick assessment and didn't like her thoughts. She noticed now that he had turned pale, his skin was cold and clammy, there was a wheeze in his breathing and she didn't like his respirations. And that was a quick assessment, she thought with concern.

"Get in," she ordered him into the passenger side and took over the driver's side.

Tony nodded as he did up his seatbelt. He didn't say a lot during the car trip until he realized he wasn't going home. "This isn't my neighborhood," Tony observed and pushed the alarm out of his voice. He looked out the window and tried to think of what to do.

"I'm taking you to the hospital," Jeanne told him firmly taken aback by the quick deterioration in his health. She had seen people get worse very quickly, but this was different.

Tony's eyes widened once more. He had tried to think of something so that she wouldn't take him to the hospital, all would be lost if she did and he'd worked to hard on this undercover op.

"No!" Tony gasped. "You can't do that to me," he shouted. "Look, I'll just go home, I'll rest. Just no hospitals," he pleaded with her.

Again his mind raced. The hospital meant failure of his mission, everything would come out. His whole stupid history would come out. The medical personnel. The tests, the needles and the never ending questions. "Come on, it will pass. I think it's just a twenty four hour thing," he tried to plead his case.

"Calm down," she noticed that Tony's respirations became quicker and shallow which could cause many different problems with the way his breathing sounds were. "I guess I can take you to my place," Jeanne offered an alternative solution, at least there she could watch him.

Tony smiled in relief. All he had to do was improve overnight and that'd be it. Problem solved. Plus there was an added bonus of having your own doctor. He turned and smiled at her again. "Thank you," he mouthed.

* * *

_**Jeanne Benoit Residence**_

Before Tony even had the chance to complain or say anything, he was stripped down and helped into his boxers. Normally, he'd come up with a witty comment, but nothing popped into his head at the moment. Thankfully he had some spare clothes at Jeanne's place that he could wear tomorrow.

Jeanne held back the covers to the bed and waited for her patient to climb in. She came back in the room with a glass of water. "I have to get my equipment," Jeanne told him. "Now, can I trust you to stay in bed until I get back?" She asked seriously.

"There's a Forever Knight marathon on and I was…" Tony looked to see that Jeanne was impatiently tapping her foot. "Alright Doc," Tony said cheerfully as he gave a mock salute. "I'll stay right here," he assured her. Jeanne put another pillow under his head.

"Good," she kissed him on the cheek before leaving.

Tony sighed. He really knew how to dig him self into holes. Too bad he never learned how to get him self out of it. Things could go to hell in a hand basket if he didn't get the situation under control. Get better, get better, get better was the mantra running through his mind. His mind raced further as he knew what would come next when she came in with her bag. She would listen to his lungs and hear what he didn't want her to. She'd then take his pulse and BP and the number of breaths per minute, which would all come up not good for him. He knew the drill, but he needed to stay here. Again, he started his mantra and thought how am I going to get out of this one? He fought for an answer.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: I'm surprised that got so many positive reviews. I know Tony/Jeanne isn't exactly populer but this story was begging to be written. I think they make such a cute chapter, don't you?**_

Momentarily, Tony thought about making a break for his cell phone. That might have been a good idea if he hadn't spent so much time thinking about it. He needed to contact Jenny and ask her for a rescue plan. _Damn it!_ His mind screamed at him. It sucked having a doctor around; they just knew not to take any crap.

He took a drink of water, hoping that the intake of fluid would speed up his recovery. The water was a relief; it seemed to keep his lips moist. Unfortunately, he drank a bit faster than he could swallow which made him begin to cough and splutter. No matter what he did the cough wouldn't stop.

"God," Tony said through a wheezed gasp. His chest hurt with each spasm. He needed to pull him self together, make a deal and get out of this situation.

Jeanne was suddenly standing there and it took Tony be surprise. His only thought had been pulling it together and not where she was. Finally, to Tony's relief, the spasms and coughs had settled down. He cleared his throat before lying back down. He watched as Jeanne prepared the thermometer and sat on the bed beside him.

"I think I drank the water too fast," he gave her yet another excuse.

Before Tony could continue with another excuse, he found a thermometer in his mouth. The stethoscope felt cold as it lay on his chest and she listened to his lungs. They already sounded bad, she had heard the wheezing. Tony did his utmost to distract Doctor Benoit. She tuned his antics out like she had with other patients when in full doctor mode.

Jeanne schooled her face. She didn't like this one bit. It sounded like he had the lungs of a chronic smoker than that of a fit young man. The temperature was elevated she noted as she read the numbers. She put everything together so far as she would with any patient. At least his blood pressure was normal, she thought. That was the only good thing so far, but the main problem that concerned her was his lungs.

Tony smiled brightly when Jeanne looked over at him and started to explain what she had found so far. "This is really not good," Jeanne started out, "your lungs are congested… You're running a fever that could worsen and frankly, you're breathing like a smoker of thirty years. I have to get you to the hospital, and get you checked out," she told him with a serious no nonsense tone.

Tony went to sit up. "Really, I'm fine. It's nothing. And plus I've got a professor's conference that I can't miss on Monday," Tony calmly told her. He hoped it would work, but somehow he didn't think it would. But he had to try his best, right?

Jeanne rolled her eyes, she knew her man was dedicated to his job, but this could be detrimental to his health. "You're **not,** fine, Anthony DiNardo," Jeanne used his full name scolding him, "you are sick. You need tests and to be treated. This is nothing to fool around with," she explained and prayed she would get through to him.

"Luckily I've got my own sexy doctor to look after me," Tony chuckled. That was a big mistake. He had been struggling to keep his breathing under control. When he chuckled, he no longer had control, and suddenly all he had worked for was lost as he let loose. Black spots soon appeared in his field of vision. The more he tried to breathe in, the more difficult it became.

"Breathe in and out Tony… Match my breathing," Jeanne told him softly. She continued her instruction until his breathing was regulated to a better, but not good evenness. "That's not good. This isn't a twenty four hour thing," She eventually said and shook her head. She wondered if he understood the seriousness of what she had explained to him and wished he'd stop with the excuses.

"I'm just prone to these types of things," Tony told her and hoped it would reassure her. There were some things he could tell her, perhaps ease her mind. But that would only raise more questions and suspicions that he couldn't afford. Sometimes it was difficult being in this undercover position. And he could feel the façade fading.

"I know it's **not** just anything, Tony. So stop trying to convince me and insult my intelligence as a doctor," Jeanne figured out that the tough love approach had some sort of effect on him. "You never struck me as the unhealthy type and you're not stupid," She told him while still scrutinizing him. He had the look of an athlete rather than a school professor. He seemed so fragile to her while she had watched him fight for each breath that held a wheeze along with wetness that had her very concerned. She knew it could be a number of things; none of them seemed too good. The only way to tell would be tests and to be hospitalized and she knew unless unconscious he wouldn't go. Why were there always people like that? Why couldn't they see what needed to be done to help them? And why did the man she loved have to be one of those who were either to macho to go or maybe too afraid? She pondered that thought for a quick moment and then put it on the back burner for later.

"A couple of years ago I had a rough bout of pneumonia," Tony told her the half truth, but at least he wasn't really lying. As shitty as he felt, Tony knew he had to do some damage control. If Ducky ever found out, he was going to get an hour lecture from the ME and then taken out to the woodshed by Gibbs over this. "I was out camping for a week. Guess it turned out worse than it should have," he shrugged his shoulders and waited to see if it passed the test. "The doctor said that even though my lungs healed well, I'd still be prone to colds and such. But didn't really say anything that would give me a lot to be concerned about," Tony gave a reassuring smile.

"Sounds nasty," Jeanne said. If Tony's body was susceptible because of his previously compromised lungs due to respiratory illness, that could explain the intense deterioration. But that was troubling in itself. "I think you should rest Tony," Jeanne told him. But what she was really thinking was how to get him to agree to a hospital. He needed rest chest x-rays, blood work, oxygen, breathing treatments, IV's, the right anti-biotic and mostly to be closely monitored. She had to figure out how to make him go. Sure she could call an EMT unit but they couldn't treat him or bring him in with out his consent. Now, with all she knew the fear entered her mind and made her doctor mode a bit weaker. There had to be a way. If he became unconscious she could get him into treatment but that could be too late. She tucked him in and walked out leaving the door open ajar to hear him. She pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge and bit her nail as she pondered over how to get him to go for treatment.

* * *

Tony wasn't sure if he slept or not. He couldn't see a watch or clock and there was only a light that came from the hallway. The light illuminated the room enough for him to see his clothes in the corner. Quietly, he slipped out of his bed and checked through the pockets for his cell phone. It was time for him to call for help. Tony almost walked into the dresser because he felt dizzy. After a moment of fiddling around in the jacket pocket in the poorly lit room, Tony finally was able to pull out the cell phone. His mind worked out that he had to call from outside… He couldn't risk Jeanne overhearing any conversation.

The digital clock on his phone read eleven fifteen pm. Maybe it'd be too late too call. Jenny would either be asleep or catching up on paperwork at the office. He highlighted her name on screen and hit the dial button. He began to feel really bad again with all the exertion he'd been doing. He had found Jeanne sound asleep in the next room which made it easier to go outside. Once outside, Tony now realized that as he stood beside the front door in his boxers and without a shirt on, was a stupid idea. The cold air ferociously bit at his exposed skin and made him shiver and his teeth chatter a bit.

"Director Shepard," Jenny's sleepy voice answered the phone. There was a moment of silence. "Tony?" She asked.

Tony cleared his throat and checked to make sure nobody was in the vicinity. "Jenny. I've screwed everything up," Tony felt like he was about to burst into tears. He wasn't sure why. He coughed hard once again and had to double over due to the weakness. He also had to try and keep quiet.

"What's wrong Tony? You ok?" Jenny felt like kicking herself. That was clearly a stupid question.

"I'm not ok. Been sick, am sick. I've been with Jeanne, I am with Jeanne," Tony said, correcting himself. He wasn't sure, but he felt his mind slipping a bit as he tried to concentrate. "Basically, she's threatening to take me to the hospital," Tony took in a few deep breaths.

"By the sounds of it, it might be the best thing for you," Jenny responded.

"And then everything will be out in the open… My patient history doesn't exactly scream Professor DiNardo," Tony reminded her of who he truly was.

Jenny could hear Tony's teeth chattering. "Where are you Tony?" She asked.

"Outside talking to you," Tony answered matter-of-factly.

"NCIS?" Jenny asked in a confused tone.

"No…," Tony laughed. "Outside Jeanne's," he answered.

"Get back inside. Follow her orders and I'll take care of things," Jenny told him. "Trust me… I haven't let you down, have I? I'll make sure there is a medical file for Tony DiNardo over there. I'll use a doctor there that I know and call him with the details. He owes me a favor. Now, what do I need to know to have in this file?" She asked. Both of her questions and the explanations were her way of asking for his trust without coming right out and saying that.

Tony mulled that very thing around in his head. It was true that she hadn't done him wrong. And he doubted that she would do so at a time like this. Jenny wouldn't jeopardize an agent, but doubted that she'd let this operation fly out the window just because the agent wasn't feeling well.

"Alright." Tony replied eventually and then told Jenny everything he had told Jeanne about his lungs. The rest would be standard things in a medical file and he knew Jenny would have it at Jeanne's hospital to be safe.

"Tony?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah."

"If things don't go right… I'll make sure you're ok," Jenny assured him.

"I know." Tony said before pressing the hang up button. He tried to sneak back to the bedroom and, he really hoped that Jeanne hadn't noticed his little escapade. He was shocked to see the light in the lounge room come on and then quickly ducked into the kitchen. Getting a glass of water would be a convenient excuse to explain his reason for being out of bed, he figured.

"Tony?" Jeanne was surprised to see him standing over the sink.

"I'm just getting a drink," Tony answered flatly. He didn't even bother offering any smiles. He could feel the cold and truth be told, he really doubted he had the energy or the willpower to make it back to the bedroom.

"You should've called," Jeanne said to him. Her bedroom was next to the room he had always used. Even though Tony was obviously cold because he was walking around barefooted and bare-chested, he still was sweating a bit.

Tony smiled in return as he drank the water. He felt slightly dehydrated. It was unusual to have someone care about him that wasn't Gibbs or Ducky. And for a brief moment he allowed himself to think of it. Well, it did feel good, but that wasn't what he was here for, yet, again, it did feel good, different, and nice.

"I'm just going back to bed," Tony said nonchalantly. He walked by her and studied the stairs. They seemed to go on forever. Carefully, he began his ascension, using the wall for support.

"Tony… You really are a stubborn son-of-a-bitch," Jeanne shook her head. She thought about watching him try to keep from falling down the stairs. Instead, she wrapped her arm around his waist and escorted him to the second floor.

Leg went up, leg went down… Tony went up. Leg went up, leg went down… The up and down movement reminded Tony of a ship bobbing up and down in the water. Tony's head and body suddenly felt as if he were spinning around in circles that set off nausea in his stomach. Why hadn't he thought about taking the time off when he first felt things getting the better of him? Tony broke free from Jeanne's grasp and dashed for the toilet. He bounced off the doorframe and closed the door behind him.

Jeanne never really understood why men either acted so stoic when they were sick while others acted like big babies. She could hear him retching even from near her bedroom, but waited. Men and their pride will be their sex's downfall. She waited for him to rinse his mouth out.

"Let me help you, Tony," Jeanne said. He was much hotter than before and his gait looked awkward. The more troublesome sign was his lack of protest.

"Alright," Tony responded with not even half a smile.

* * *

Jeanne was worried about her man. She brought in a blanket and camped on the chair beside Tony's bed. It was almost four am when Tony's fever worsened. She used a damp cloth to cool his forehead and then took a few small cold packs from the freezer. She placed them under his neck, his groin, and his arm pits, along with under his knees. What he really needed was a cool down blanket that they had at the hospital, but for now the best she could do was get all the hot spots and hoped that would bring the fever down.

Occasionally his glassy green eyes would open and search around the room. "What are you looking for?" Jeanne asked him.

She wasn't sure how lucid he was. She had taken his temperature again. It had gone up a whole degree which alarmed her. She needed to do something. Again she knew he'd have to go to the hospital. She sat there and thought if he wasn't lucid maybe she could get him there. Now, she listened to him closely as she waited to see how he would answer her.

"Kate?" Tony sounded lost. "Brad?"

Jeanne wasn't sure what to do about the personal side of things, only the medical. But she had done what she could in order to try and bring the fever down. She had the temped water in a basin and rinsed out the rag only to put it back on his burning forehead. Whoever this Kate and Brad were, they definitely held some deep connection. Maybe she could find out later. Only, if Tony gave her more to work with.

"Brad… Where'd she go?" Tony asked. Though not really looking at anything at all.

She had to assist Tony to sit up. The coughing and his respirations were worse. That was enough… She knew he was out of it enough for her to finally get him to the hospital. She thanked God as she put a shirt on Tony and called in for an ambulance telling them who she was and the address. She propped him up more and waited for the door bell to ring. She knew she couldn't bear all his weight and take him down stairs. The attendants would bring the stretcher up to the room and then take him out to the ambulance. They would go to her hospital and he'd finally get the care he needed, which relieved her worried mind. Now it was the wait to get him there and then wait for the test results and finally to get a hold of his medical file.

God, she hated the waiting and always had. She liked to find out what the trouble was and then treat it. But at least once they got there she could get an IV into Tony and oxygen while they ran the tests. She wiped his forehead again as he lie there helplessly, not knowing what was going on around him. She looked at her watch again and then finally heard the sound she so desperately waited for, the siren. She opened the door for the attendants and then jumped into the ambulance as they loaded the stretcher in and locked it in place. She put an oxygen mask over his face and raised the O2 to the right level for him. She then established an IV in his arm and fixed the rate before she hung it. All this was done while they sped off for the hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sick Tony and Jeanne chapter 3**_

It had been a hectic ride to the hospital. There was only so much one could do in an ambulance. The trip to the hospital seemed to take forever. "Shhh, Tony," Jeanne soothed. He seemed to be murmuring, but it was impossible to understand the muffled words. Thank God, the young doctor thought when they finally arrived.

--------------------------------

Doctor Kash Rodgers cradled the receiver in between his chin and shoulder as he typed out the details that Jenny had given him. He had always wondered when the redhead was going to call in the favor he owed her. After witnessing a shooting a couple of years ago, he spiraled into a path of self destruction. Fortunately, a redheaded woman by the name of Jenny Shepard had brought him around. Out of gratitude he had told Jenny if she ever needed a favor all she had to do was call. When he answered the phone he realized she was now calling in that favor he had promised. He listened carefully to every word and only the occasional sound of, "Uh huh," escaped his lips. The doctor knew the importance of secrecy behind this favor, just like she knew when she had helped save him. He knew this was unusual and if found out he could lose his license, but he couldn't turn her down after how she had stood by him. He wondered as he listened and created the file on a Tony DiNardo how many favors this woman had gathered over the years and had called in. It didn't matter, this was a done deal, signed sealed and delivered.

Doctor Benoit had rung in about the patient and he had gotten the file ready. Everything was falling into place. He quickly directed the attendants to wheel the gurney that carried the patient into the first available room. He took in what Doctor Benoit had said to him. The stats didn't sound good at all and together they'd assess the patient. Kash knew if he fought with a reason to treat the patient along with Doctor Benoit it would insure that Tony's cover held.

"He needs to get in for an x-ray ASAP," Jeanne said. "I'm going to get his medical records," she added.

"Symptoms?" Kash wasn't sure whether he was taking the case or just being Jeanne's lackey. Again, he knew he had to try to make Tony their patient. He knew he held the card that she was to close to the patient to treat him alone and he would use that if need be.

"Fever accompanied with delirium, productive cough, wheezing, rapid respirations," Jeanne answered. She ran through the symptoms that she kept a mental note of. The compiled list didn't paint a nice picture for Tony DiNardo.

* * *

Jeanne frowned as she read over the medical records. There was that case of pneumonia that stood out. Respiratory illnesses were listed after the severe case of pneumonia. And then a few cases of severe colds and each could have turned back into pneumonia if they hadn't been treated. All she read definitely made this more serious. She impatiently waited for Doctor Rodgers to return with Tony. The wait seemed to last forever.

"We're still waiting on the results. I also ordered the standard blood work up," Kash said as they both watched Tony being transferred back to the treatment room bed.

He had ordered a cooling blanket to prevent the patient's fever from rising. He had also had the nurse up the 02 a few liters, retake the vitals, replace a different IV with 5% Dextrose and had an antibiotic piggie backed into the IV. Kash wrote every order on the chart that he had made which included a respiratory therapist to give a breathing treatment. He didn't like the sound of the patient's lungs. Occasionally they would have to take the cooling blanket off as they worked and would retake Tony's temperature and vitals. He was surprised when Jeanne handed him back the medical file and chart that he had started when he tried to give it to her. He knew he had ordered most of the treatment and Doctor Benoit had ordered only a few that were written on the chart. But he figured now that the x-rays and blood work would be back soon that she would want to be the lead doctor.

"You're not treating him?" Kash asked with a surprised look, though in the back of his mind he was glad he might not have to play his card. Maybe she did realize that she was to close to the patient to treat him. It was no secret at the Hospital, especially those who worked alongside Jeanne that Tony and she were in a relationship.

"No," Jeanne stated. She wanted to take control over every aspect of his care. But knew she was to close and could make a mistake. So she'd take on the role of the concerned and loving girlfriend. "But I want to be kept up to date with what's going on. I want to be notified of everything. Consulted even," Jeanne told him.

"Okay then," Kash looked at the file and treatment chart before he nodded his understanding to his associate.

* * *

_Waiting was always a bitch._ That was what Jeanne had always thought. But it rang even more true now that her lover was so sick and in a hospital bed. She resisted the urge to go and kick Doctor Rodgers' ass to hurry him up. The quicker they figured out what was going on, the quicker they could get the right treatment under way. For now they were treating what they saw and had assessed. A precautionary antibiotic was set up until they knew exactly what Tony had and if he needed a stronger one or anything else.

Tony spent the time drifting in and out of consciousness. His high fever made him incoherent, often softly speaking words that made no sense. But the high temperature could cause more damage for him. At least the fever was holding steady. But Jeanne wouldn't rest easily until he was healthy again. She thought as she took the damp cloth from the nurse and wiped the sweat off his face.

Almost fifty minutes had passed. That was enough time for Jeanne's impatience to become elevated. She stormed out of the room to see what was taking Doctor Rodgers so long with the x-rays. He didn't seem surprised to see Jeanne enter the room as he hung up the phone.

"What's going on?" Jeanne asked. Kash pointed to the light box that held Tony's chest x-rays. "That's bad," she simply commented.

"Sorry, what took me so long to get the results to you was that I had to get in contact with his doctor that treated him when he had pneumonia. Most of this," Kash pointed to the damage around his patient's lungs. "Is extensive scarring from when he contracted pneumonia. And what you see here as you know, are signs of a bad respiratory infection," he explained.

"All this?" Jeanne asked. She was surprised that Tony had acted so dismissive about his health, "he told me it was nothing serious," she stated as Kash pulled the x-rays down from the lit box.

"At least we know what we're dealing with… We should be able to prevent it from developing into something more," Kash responded. "I'd like to limit the amount of visitors to DiNardo's room. Hit the infection with stronger antibiotics and keep the rest of the treatment we are doing."

Jeanne followed Doctor Rodgers back to the room they had put Tony in on the ICU floor. The quicker they could help Tony's body fight this, the safer he'd be. Hopefully they could keep any further scarring down to a minimum.

"Thank God you're here," Nurse Andrews said. "Mister DiNardo was conscious for a bit but he seemed real agitated. I tried to calm him down," Andrews told them.

"Did he say anything?" Jeanne asked. It was the first question that popped into her mind. Maybe he had elaborated on what he was mumbling about earlier. It was a bit of a dishonest way to get some information that usually a patient wouldn't give. Sometimes that incoherent babbling would release more about the patient's condition that normally wouldn't be said.

"No, he didn't say anything," Andrews answered.

Jeanne brushed some hair away from her eyes. She was feeling tired as well, but fought the urge to play doctor. Instead she watched Doctor Rodgers check the IV and carefully adjusted the drip of the new antibiotics into the IV line.

"I'll be back in a while to check on him, Doctor Benoit," Kash said to her. "Page me if there's a sudden change," though he knew it was a given. That was the good thing about having a visitor/doctor. He knew that anything serious that came up he'd be called and it would be charted right away. Though on the other hand, he knew he wouldn't be called over anything trivial that usually came with hysterical family members or loved ones.

"I will, Doctor Rodgers," Jeanne responded.

A couple of times Jeanne had removed the cooling blanket and on other occasions she held him up during the bad coughing fits. The mask was placed back on his face and he'd be eased back down. The head of Tony's bed had been slightly raised and some extra pillows were place under him so that he could breathe a bit easier. But that didn't seem like it was making too much of a difference, even with the breathing treatment.

* * *

Tony gasped for breath. He felt like he had just re-entered his body after being disconnected. The first thing he realized was that it was daylight. The second was that there was something over his mouth. Was it smothering him? That was the first question that haunted him. Was he being smothered? Tony removed the thing off his face and tried to toss it.

"Tony," A familiar voice said. "Calm down," Jeanne's face slowly came into focus and replaced the oxygen mask.

"Where am I?" He asked. His voice was muffled a little by the mask as he looked around. It hurt his throat to talk. Of course he realized. He was in the hospital. His many instances of waking up in a hospital to the sounds and smells had made him sure.

"At my hospital," Jeanne smiled. It was more in relief than anything else. "You worsened so quickly… I had to call the EMTs to get you here," she explained to him.

"Oh," he rubbed his throat each time he talked. Tony knew that he'd been coughing a lot. The inside felt rough, his chest was hurting and he was so damn tired. That was as much of a response as he was willing to muster. He waited to hear if Jeanne had anything else to say. Maybe she had some questions concerning his… Tony DiNardo's medical file. Why else would she be sitting by his bed?

"Who's Kate?" Jeanne asked.

The question was a shock. Tony's breathing involuntarily stopped. _How the hell did she know that?_ "Jeanne," was all he could get out before he began coughing again. He felt him self being lifted forward. The question had been momentarily forgotten. Tony felt his eyelids close.

"We'll talk about it later," Jeanne said. It was as if she wasn't given a choice in the matter. Tony was asleep before his head hit the pillows. She knew she'd get the information somehow. Again she thought about how it was always easier to get information out of very sick patients, especially when they weren't fully lucid. It was a nasty trick, but sometimes she'd used it. Nasty tricks were something that she picked up from her father. Renee always used those tricks to get what he wanted.

She knew her lover heavily guarded himself. Probably, Tony had been badly hurt by someone in the past. She frowned at the thought. If someone had driven Tony away, it was a stupid act. But as the saying goes, someone else's loss was her gain. Jeanne covered Tony's chest with the blanket before settling back down herself.

* * *

Tony was in between sleep and being awake once again. There was something constricting his upper arm. That had to be removed! His mind screamed at him. The pressure continued to mount until finally, it was released with a slow hissing sound. Tony looked to see his blood pressure being taken.

"Thank God," he said with a raspy voice. He still was unsure about what time it was. But judging by the lighting in the room it had to be evening.

"What?" A male asked.

"Who are you?" Tony asked back.

"Doctor Kash Rodgers," Kash responded as he began writing on the chart. "How are you feeling, Mister DiNardo?" He asked.

"Feeling great," Tony smiled. It was a blatant lie, he felt like crap. His throat sore, chest sore and he just felt empty inside.

"Yeah… You're a picture of pristine health," Kash responded. "You know that you've been giving Doctor Benoit a scare and frankly me too. At least your fevers broken," Kash added.

Tony looked around the room. It was just them, nobody else. "Where'd she go?" Tony asked.

"Oh, Doctor Benoit's out," Kash responded quickly. "You've really sent her mind AWOL. Especially since you've been mentioning someone called Kate," he chuckled slightly. He'd known Jeanne for only a few months but knew that she was the jealous type. He stopped when Tony's face suddenly changed expression.

"I'm getting out of here," Tony said as he climbed off the bed unsteadily. The monitor beeped loudly in alarm once the wires were detached. "My clothes… Where are they?" He leaned on the bed for support. Thanks to him being sick, he had fucked everything up. He had let things slip and now Jeanne knew enough to find out everything.

"You can't leave," Kash told him.

"I'll sign myself out. Bring me the forms and I'll crawl out if I have to," Tony said with conviction. There was no use of staying in this hospital.

"The hell you will," Kash responded. He guided the swaying Tony back to the bed. "I know who you are Mister DiNozzo… She doesn't," he whispered into his ear. "Jenny explained some things to me and I've been in contact with your doctor… I assure you that Doctor Benoit doesn't know anymore than your first name," he said.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked. Once again he looked around the room. "Where is she then?"

"Having dinner," Kash answered. "Now get back into bed," he ordered, he had turned the monitor's alarm off so that it didn't disrupt anything further.

Tony's mind stopped racing for a second. "I need to contact my boss," Tony said. Or at the very least get into work the very next day… Or not.

"I've been in contact with Jenny… She's handling things on her end… You just concentrate on you," he said quietly. Kash hoped that Tony wouldn't try to do anything stupid like that again. Fortunately the action hadn't dislodged the IV. He checked to make sure that it was still firmly in place. Once everything was back in its rightful place, Kash turned the monitor back on. "I trust you're not going to do anything like that again," Kash looked at his patient.

"How'd you get roped into this… conspiracy?" Tony asked. He hated to talk, but didn't like the silence much either.

"Conspiracy huh?" Kash sighed. "Don't owe anybody anything… It can be a real bitch," Kash said with a smile. But he had to admit it was fun in a twisted way. Tony smiled back. He understood what Kash meant. Tony allowed his eyes to close and drift off into an uncomfortable sleep. The sooner he recuperated, the sooner he can get out of this predicament.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Jeanne and Tony 4**_

One good thing about being sick, Tony always thought to himself, was that you could feign sleep easily. As hard as it was to fool and have people think you're in good health, it was also downright easy to make yourself feel worse in the process. "Oh man, he's gonna have my hide for sure," Tony wondered how Jenny was handling Gibbs over this matter, what she was telling him and how Tony would have to act. He knew that Jenny would let him know what had to be done, what act to do. He also wondered how loud the two would get in their so called discussion or more likely with Gibbs, their pissing match. That thought made him want to be a fly in her office and brought a smile to his face for just a moment.

Tony found himself bored like he always got when in the hospital. He hated hospitals and anyone who knew him knew that. Sickness was no deterrent for complete and utter boredom.

Tony suddenly realized he wasn't alone. He mentally berated himself for being an agent who should have realized right away that he wasn't alone, yet he hadn't. He didn't let on what he felt when he began to speak. "Have you been here the whole time?" He looked over at Jeanne who was sitting on the chair beside the bed.

"Who'll have your hide Tony?" Jeanne questioned. She looked up from the magazine she was only half interested in.

_Why the fuck am I so loose lipped? _Tony asked himself, not remembering speaking out loud. Usually, he managed to keep himself very well guarded, except for around Abby. Abby had always allowed him to be his real self. But now, Jeanne was slowly chiseling away at the wall somehow and that could be dangerous. "My supervisor… He's going to ride me very hard over this," Tony sighed. He had noticed that he was able to tell a bunch of half truths… He could tell her some things and keep the lies simple. That way, the Tony DiNardo could easily live on. After all he had learned that being undercover you kept your stories as close to the truth as you could. This was the best way you could remember and keep up your persona easier.

"Your boss sounds like a bad-ass," Jeanne smiled. She was surprised to find him so talkative about something else other than movies.

"No, not really… He's actually very caring, for some reason, he's very protective over those who work underneath him. Since I got sick with pneumonia, he's been all over me like the plague," Tony chuckled slightly. Everyone would murder him if they heard what he just had said. But again, using the word plague _wasn't_ far from the truth.

"Sounds like a good man," Jeanne quickly corrected herself.

"That he is," Tony didn't elaborate on what he truly believed. Part of him knew that his relationship with Gibbs was destined to turn sour after his boss found out about the deception that was going on.

"So how you feeling?" Jeanne asked the million dollar question.

"Great…" Tony said. But his coughing betrayed him. He cursed his body for divulging the truth that he needed to hide. "Or not so great," he sighed. Lying to Doctor Jeanne Benoit about this wasn't going to get him anywhere he quickly realized.

"There's something else I want to talk about," Jeanne told him softly. Something had been on her mind for some time. Since things had calmed down, she figured she could finally ask him some questions that had been bothering her, "Kate? When you were delirious, you kept asking for her," Jeanne pressed the issue that she needed the answer to.

Tony closed his eyes. He was now quietly praying for one of those severe coughing fits. He needed something that would get Jeanne's mind off DiNozzo's life. His body was refusing to cooperate.

"Tony?" Jeanne continued to press.

"Jeanne…" Tony said slowly. Perhaps if he delayed it long enough, something could happen. Maybe fake an emergency. That would work if his body would agree to do it. But that wasn't going to be the case. "I don't know what to say," Tony eventually responded.

"I'd just like to know who she is… There's so much you haven't told me about your past," she said to him. "It's just the way you sounded, you sounded like you needed her," Jeanne was a jealous woman at times, but knew Tony DiNardo only had eyes for her and was very dedicated to their relationship.

Tony was thankful that Jeanne had given him a glass of water. His voice was beginning to feel scratchy once again. "Thanks…" He almost mouthed. Every time he was sick, Tony always seemed to have that need for Kate. He wondered how often it pissed Abby or the others off. Now he figured that he'd have to stay as close to the truth as possible. He'd use the undercover tactic that he had thought about earlier, so he continued, "When I was really sick, she, Kate, helped me through it… I don't know, it's stupid, I know," Tony felt Jeanne's hand on his own.

"Not at all Tony," Jeanne patted his hand. "I can give her a call if you like," Tony didn't mention many of his past conquests. She knew she had a jealous streak but didn't pick up on anything romantic about the woman that Tony had just mentioned. The mood turned somber. "I'm sorry Tony… What happened?" Jeanne asked.

"She died," Tony answered, quickly wiping away a tear. She had protected him when he had the plague. She had been right that their banter would help to keep him fighting. Only Tony couldn't return the favor for Kate, they never had the time before her death. He knew he had to get off this topic, it wasn't a safe topic for him, "I'm sorry I never said anything," Tony quietly told her.

_Oh great!_ Tony internally cursed him self as he felt a coughing fit coming on. He couldn't believe that his body chose now to finally give in.

Jeanne eased Tony forward to allow him to cough easier. He closed his hand around Jeanne's arm to anchor himself. There was no way he was going to allow his body to enter the state it had been in when he had the plague. _Oh god! The Plague! _Tony remembered the blue lights, the endless coughing, the blood… _Oh shit! What if it's back?_ He knew that he couldn't live through that again.

"What's wrong?" Jeanne asked as Tony's breathing became irregular. "Take long deep breaths," she ordered him.

"I can't," Tony stated. _I can't go through this. And I don't know if I can hold a cover like this either. But I have to try._

He tried to cover up the fears that ran through his mind, which seemed to make the attack worse. And with what was going on with his body, he wondered if he had the strength to keep his cover? That was the real question that again slid through his thoughts.

"You're starting to hyperventilate," Jeanne said calmly. She pressed the call button and placed the oxygen mask over his face.

It didn't take long for Doctor Rodgers to come into the room. "What happened?" He looked over at Jeanne.

"We were talking and then he started coughing which brought on his hyperventilating. It's almost as if he had an anxiety attack," Jeanne explained to Kash.

Tony went to remove the mask. He wanted to explain the situation, make it go away. Jeanne kept Tony's hand away from the mask. "Keep it on Mister DiNardo," Kash ordered. "I'm going to take his vitals. Perhaps you should go home, change, shower and get some decent food," Kash told her.

"Look," Jeanne was about to protest the order.

"Mister DiNardo's pretty tired and rest is the best thing for him. You're tired, aren't you Mister DiNardo?" Kash looked down at his patient sternly. He knew he got the message through to Tony and that the agent knew this was the doctor's way to give him an out.

Tony nodded and gave a little shrug as an apology. "Okay…" Jeanne kissed Tony on the cheek before stepping outside with Kash.

Kash drank some coffee as he leaned against the wall. He had expected an argument when he suggested that Jeanne go home and leave her man alone. But Kash wanted to make sure that Jeanne believed she wasn't being pushed out of the way.

"You've been really good… I'm glad you haven't been questioning my every move," Kash said to Jeanne.

Jeanne smiled. "Trust me, if I thought you were treating him in the wrong way, I'd let you know, just like that," she clicked her fingers.

"Trust me; I know what you're saying. If he were mine, I'd feel the same way," Kash responded. Only then did he realize what he had said. He didn't try and correct him self as he hoped that his mistake went unnoticed.

"I know," Jeanne said before leaving the hospital.

----------------------------------------------------

Kash went back into the room where Tony was. He wrote some notes on Tony's chart. There were some unanswered questions. Kash waited while he held the chart in his hand and thought about which way to proceed.

"You often stand at the foot of the bed and watch people sleep, Doc?" Tony had removed the mask so he could speak.

Kash shrugged his shoulders. "How are you feeling?" He checked the vitals that had been taken previously. He then skipped his previous question for one that he needed to know the answer to even more. "So… What happened before?" He asked directly.

"Before?" Tony asked as he shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing," he answered defensively. How could he say anything?

Kash let out an elongated sigh. "Something's bothering you. As your doctor I should know what it's about," he said flatly.

"There was just something I was thinking about before," Tony still kept his guard up. There was no way he was willing to discuss intimate details with this doctor. Tony didn't think that the Doctor could possibly understand even though he knew the doctor had been repaying a debt he owed to Jenny. But he didn't know how much the director had told this man so he had to play it safe, "Can I make a phone call?" He asked tentatively.

"No worries, Tony. I'll get a phone in here right away," Kash told him. He then left to order a phone to be installed in the agent's room.

Tony lay back onto the pillow. He felt calmer now that he was alone and noticed the tightness in his chest wasn't as bad as it had been. He was glad that the doctor gave him no problem about the phone. He'd feel even better once he spoke to the director and found out more details about what had been done with DiNardo's chart and medical records. He'd also feel better when he knew how much this doctor had been told. He understood the doctor had been told some things, but he couldn't trust this man with how he truly was in any way until Tony knew the whole story. Although he pondered a good deal about how the man had covered up so much already and knew the doctor could lose his license if anyone found out.

Tony's curiosity was piqued. He knew he had a few minutes before the phone came in. With that knowledge he gingerly sat up and with shaky hands grabbed the chart that was in the cradle at the edge of his bed. He opened it and read what had been put down. The bottom line was that Tony wasn't a doctor and he could only make out a few things, his medical records would have told him more. For now he quickly placed the chart back and laid his exhausted body down. He put on the O2 mask and breathed in the sweet oxygen he desperately needed. After his body calmed, he resigned himself to the fact he wouldn't know until he spoke to Jenny. He never realized that his worn out body dragged him into sleep as he waited for the phone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sick Tony 5**

Tony felt a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him until he woke up. He blinked a bit, surprised to be pulled out of sleep. "Hey," Kash said as he shook the man awake. "I got that phone for you. May be better if you make the call ASAP," Kash placed the phone within Tony's grasp.

"Thanks. Keep an eye out for me Doc," Tony's voice sounded like a crackling old record.

Kash nodded that he would before leaving the room. He wondered once again why he was doing this cover up. The doctor felt instead of his profession, he should wear a dark suit, carry a badge and call him self a federal agent. Tony smiled in thanks as the Kash left the room. Honestly, the agent did feel sorry for the doctor, but the man had to be utilized in order to keep his cover. This assignment paid the debt that the doctor owed. Tony wondered briefly if Jenny wouldn't try to pull two favors for his debt if she ever needed to. Well, it wasn't his business, as long as the doctor covered for him that's all that mattered. He picked up the phone and dialed what had become a very familiar number.

"Director Shepard," Jenny's voice answered casually, seeming to be concentrating half on the phone call and half on something else.

"Director?" Tony tried to change his voice so it didn't sound like that proverbial old record. "It's DiNar- Tony," he corrected himself.

"Tony?" Jenny asked after a pause. She stood up and made sure her office door was locked for privacy before she began speaking into the phone. "How are you feeling?" She asked her agent.

"Fine," Tony responded automatically. He didn't exactly call to give her an update on his condition. "Oh, I guess I should tell you I'm in the hospital. This is me calling in sick, I guess," Tony smiled at his lame joke.

"Understood," Jenny responded with the shake of the head. She hated how tough it was to tell Gibbs that Tony would be off for awhile without getting into any details. Gibbs would get angry that _his agent_ didn't directly call him like he was supposed to. She knew he would start with his gut feeling and hoped that the lead agent wouldn't try to get a hold of Tony. Eventually, Jenny had no choice but to resort to pulling rank, but again how long would that last. This would send Gibbs on the warpath which never made it comfortable for anyone around him.

"I need to know what you had put in DiNardo's medical file," Tony went straight to the second and real reason why he had called.

"Right…," Jenny commented. "I had the Doctor put in pneumonia and a history of bad lungs. Also, I had mentioned that you had spent some time in isolation," Jenny elaborated further. "Everything else is self explanatory and also Doctor Rodgers has been in contact with Doctor Pitt and confirmed a couple of things. So I think if you just avoid the plague issue, you'll be alright," Jenny winced as she told him.

"What? Avoid the plague like the plague, huh?" Tony chuckled that brought on a hard cough.

Jenny rolled her eyes. At least she knew Tony couldn't be too bad if he was still making jokes. "Just relax and concentrate on getting better and keeping your cover intact," Jenny emphasized.

Tony silently nodded, but then remembered that he had to speak. "Alright… But what about…" Tony wanted to ask her about Gibbs and his reaction. Gibbs could be more dangerous than any infection.

"You let me worry about him. Agent Gibbs may think he's in charge of everything, but he has to learn that I'm the Director of NCIS, not him," Jenny responded. Sometimes it was hard to see who the real boss of NCIS was. This was a problem she often had with her ex-partner and lover. She had fought her way to the top and at times the fight continued with the lead agent she was so familiar with.

"Alright…," Tony responded with a smile.

"Now, tell me how you're feeling, Tony," Jenny ordered lightly.

Tony shrugged his shoulders and knew that at least she couldn't see that. "Actually, I'm not feeling too bad. I'm feeling sick, you know, sore throat, had a fever….. Nasty cough," His first thought was to play it down as he always did. After all the years he had kept his guard up, he would let nothing tear it down if he could help it. Tony would try even harder to make sure of that, now. But he had to admit to himself that it was harder than he thought under the circumstances.

* * *

_**Later in the evening**_

Tony woke up and couldn't breathe. It felt like something was sitting on his chest, restricting his ability to breathe. At first, he extended his hands outward, only to feel like the walls were closing in around him. He felt alone and trapped. A hand reached out and grabbed his. A hand that was soft, inviting and caring.

"Kate?" Tony whispered. His throat felt worse than before and he could only whisper. "You came… I called and you came back," he wasn't lucid at the moment and spoke in relief at the feeling that Kate was with him.

Jeanne dropped his hand. She was surprised and hurt that her lover had called out for another woman. She had to use her knowledge as a doctor in order to convince herself that Tony wasn't lucid. The young man probably wasn't even aware of anything around him. She felt he was stuck in a past event.

"I'm really sorry," Tony said while shaking his head, trying to keep himself in the present. He couldn't afford to keep making these mistakes, no matter how sick he was.

"Tony?" Jeanne noted the distress in Tony's voice. She attempted to push her own insecurities down.

"Jeanne," Tony heard the familiar voice break through his dream like state that he was trying to shake off. He wasn't alone. "Jeanne, I'm really sorry. You don't deserve a guy like me… Get away from me while you still can," Tony said seriously, still not thinking clearly. She deserved to know the truth. Here he was calling out for a woman that was no longer alive, and to his surprise, Jeanne didn't say anything about it.

Jeanne wrapped her arm around his shoulders while she stood. Tony pulled away at first only she wasn't going to let him. He needed her and in truth she needed him. Being a doctor she had seen patients call out during periods of not being lucid, for people that weren't there. She understood his feeling of guilt over something he had no control over.

"Tony… I'm not leaving you," she adamantly told him. He needed to be convinced that it was the truth.

"You should… You hang around me, you're bound to get hurt," Tony's voice was slightly muffled as he buried his head into her shoulder. He couldn't hide… He was trapped. "First it was my mother and then other people throughout in my life. Everyone gets hurt because of me," Tony could feel his shoulders heaving as he held tightly onto Jeanne. To Tony, what he was saying was the truth in his fuzzy but guilt ridden mind.

Jeanne sat down on the bed and stroked his back to give him the comfort he needed, the comfort she desperately had to give. "You can talk about it, Tony," she said softly as she lovingly kissed the top of his head.

Tony shook his head and knew he couldn't be honest. Any bit of information that didn't belong to his cover as DiNardo, could endanger him and allow who he truly was to be found out. Tony didn't know how the hell he was going to pull this off. He needed to push everything from DiNozzo's life and bury it deep. He had to fully immerse himself in his cover as DiNardo and make his undercover persona come out like he had never done before. He had to believe he was actually DiNardo so that DiNozzo wouldn't come out in those moments when he wasn't lucid enough to tell.

"It's nothing," Tony responded after composing himself. Those words acted like an on switch for his other self. The only problem was he couldn't stop the tears from flowing. "I didn't mean it," he cried as he battled between the two identities and losing.

"Didn't mean what?" Jeanne asked him.

"Kate, she's not nothing… She was a damn fine -," Tony couldn't understand why the switch would turn on an off. He felt out of control which was very dangerous in the game he was playing. He was stuck in the middle, like a ping pong ball going from one side of the net and then to the other, sometimes getting trapped in the net its self.

"It's time to check your vitals," Kash told them. The excuse was true, but he also used it as he waited for the right time to interrupt the conversation. He knew that Tony had to be watched closely and not just for his health, but to keep the undercover op in play as Jenny had told him. Right now it looked like Tony was getting too close to the truth. He waited for the objections.

"Can't it wait?" Jeanne almost snapped.

"We need to monitor his lungs. His breathing sounds labored. Not that I think you can't tell this," Kash continued to try and draw out the young doctor and lose the jealous and concerned lover that was dominant.

Jeanne stood up and approached Kash. "You think I can't do that or note how he is or his vitals?" Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. To her, an opportune moment had been interrupted.

"You have none of your equipment here," Kash pointed to his stethoscope as if it was a symbol of his power. He quietly sighed when Jeanne just stood her ground. She wasn't about to give in. She held out her hand without taking her eyes off Kash.

"Look, I'm his Doctor," Kash argued, knowing she had turned Tony's care over to him. But at this moment it meant nothing, he knew that it was impossible to argue at this point. Kash sighed dramatically, handed over his stethoscope and virtually handing over his patient in one swoop. But that's what he got for interrupting a tender moment.

Tony attempted to stay very quiet. The intense discussion between the two doctors gave him a chance to compose himself. Thank God the doctor had interrupted. Every time he thought he had DiNardo as his main personality he'd slip up. He felt again like that ping pong ball, or maybe like a juggler who was juggling two objects, sometimes dropping one. Once again he found himself worried he may drop DiNardo at a critical time and allow DiNozzo to come through like it seemed to be when luckily Doctor Rodgers had come in. He didn't understand why he had the sudden urge to open up to Jeanne. There were only a couple of people he opened him self up to. Tony drunk some water as Jeanne began to listen to his lungs.

"How are you feeling?" Jeanne hated what she could hear in his lungs. She kept her features schooled as she spoke.

"Better thanks," Tony smiled. He didn't trust his voice to speak, so he only used brief words for now.

"You want to continue our conversation before we were so rudely interrupted?" Jeanne went the direct route to get some answers and curtly dismissed the other doctor who took back his stethoscope and left.

Jeanne frowned when Tony just shook his head. "I don't know why you're so guarded, Tony DiNardo," Jeanne said. She wasn't sure why he was, but one way or another she was determined to find out. "What happened to you?" She asked him.

Tony nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. He felt more comfortable wearing his proverbial mask. It had slipped too many times since being in the hospital. Fortunately, when Doctor Rodgers came in, it gave Tony the opportunity to regain his composure. Tony cursed himself for his weakness. Perhaps it was time he pulled out and allowed Jenny the chance to choose someone better.

He could mull that question over later. Right now he had to get rid of Jeanne, the questions she had and some how stay in control as Tony DiNardo.

* * *

A/N: Special thanks to crockettsgirl for help with this story. Especially with the ping pong analogy. I loved that one.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A Doctor's Love **_

To say Kash was beside himself was an understatement. His patient Tony DiNardo aka Tony DiNozzo it seemed, had been taken away from him. This from their last talk had been done by his determined colleague, Jeanne Benoit. He thought that he had been taken control of his patient from the onset. He had seen a couple of patients that had come in since he left Jeanne, but found his mind somewhere else. It wasn't on Agent DiNozzo but on his superior. He wrote down his orders on the chart of one of his patient's as he bit down on his lip.

This favor called in by the NCIS Director he was afraid couldn't be done. Jenny would probably be out to end his career. He had to find a way to push his authority. Kash knew that it was his fault. A thought suddenly came to mind. He knew it was only due to his nervousness about the NCIS Director that he hadn't thought of it before. Since Doctor Benoit had given him the case when Tony had come in, he could use that against her. Only Tony, at this point, could request the reassignment to his colleague. He knew that with Tony's back and forth lucidity the agent could allow the consent made by the pushy young woman doctor. But Doctor Rodgers still held that wild and he'd use it, that she was to close to the case to be the lead doctor. To him, his career had turned into a poker game with this one patient in the game. This was a shame, but Tony was the prize to the one with the winning hand and Kash would make Jeanne fold.

He put the chart down from his other patient and immediately felt a sense of foreboding when he saw the redhead approach. He hoped that he could finagle this situation and get back in the Director's good graces. For now honesty would have to be used with Jenny Shepard.

"Doctor Rodgers," Jenny said flatly.

Kash nodded in her direction, they silently walked into a private room that was unoccupied. He folded his arms and waited for her to say something. "How is Tony?" Jenny asked.

Kash shrugged his shoulders before he spoke. "Tony's fighting off an infection but it seems to be looming and not letting go. His antibiotic will have to be changed to a stronger one, given through his IV," Kash said, he didn't realize that his eyes had lowered.

Jenny rested her hand on his folded arms. "You're so tense," she noted after years of interrogation, his tense body language.

"Tony's been in and out of lucidity… That comes with the fever and the vulnerability that comes along with being so sick. Also with the added stress of keeping his cover that isn't helping matters," Kash explained. "There were a few times that I helped and interrupted when he was about to blow his cover. Doctor Benoit, it seems, has kicked me off of Tony's case…," he waited for the lashing out.

Jenny nodded silently. That was one of the possible outcomes that she had foreseen. Before Jenny turned to leave she said with poised grace, "Well, I know you probably have some plan to take back his case. Well?" Jenny confidently told him and then asked as she turned to leave. She stopped at the sight of the doctor. He had turned rigid once again. It looked like he was bracing him self for what would happen if he didn't regain this particular case. She then smiled to her self. Never could she understand why people were always afraid of little ol' her.

"Don't worry I have faith in you. Now, are you going to show me where his room is?" Jenny asked and then patted his arm in a matter of fact way.

Kash sighed as he led the way to Tony's hospital room. The proverbial storm would surely to hit soon if he couldn't play the game right. When they got to the door, he put on his best poker face.

"Just in here," Kash opened the door for Jenny.

* * *

Jeanne stood up when the others entered. "Doctor Rodgers…," she greeted professionally. "I was waiting for you to come back for awhile," Jeanne explained, only seeing Kash. She hadn't acknowledged the presence of Jenny yet. "When I ordered you to leave, I only meant for awhile… So you could give us some privacy," Jeanne noticed the sigh of relief from the man. "And you are?" Jeanne asked when she noticed the attractive redhead.

Rodgers was too relieved that he wouldn't have to use his poker face nor his wild card. The relief kept him from introducing Jenny.

"Just call me Jen," Jenny shook hands with Jeanne. "I take it you're Doctor Jeanne Benoit… Tony has talked about you a lot," she said, and began to build even more of Tony's cover.

"You are?" Jeanne pressed.

"I'm his boss' boss, actually," Jenny knew that Tony would refer to someone else being his boss.

Jeanne eyed her suspiciously. "I see," she mused, surprised that the higher management would be so interested in one of their professor's wellbeing. Now she needed a few minutes to think and then maybe ask some questions. The young woman knew that she still had her own patients to see. "If you two can excuse me…," she left the room.

"She's quite forceful isn't she," Jenny observed. "Well that has to be good news," Jenny had noted some discomfort and yet a bit of relief in Kash's body language.

"Yes…," Kash answered before he let go of anymore words.

"Excuse me," Jeanne walked back into the room. "Forgot my keys," she explained the reason for her re-entering the room. Not that she felt like she needed to.

"You know, Tony DiNardo does speak very highly of you," Jenny said to her in order to further the DiNardo cover. "He thinks a lot of you," she smiled when Jeanne smiled at her.

"He's a very good man. He's loyal and very loving. A man like that is hard to find these days," Jeanne said earnestly. "Wait… There's just one other thing. You work with him don't you? I mean you are his boss' boss and you seem to know him well, right?" Jeanne asked and hoped she'd get the answer she looked for.

Jenny studied the young woman briefly. It was a dangerous thing to do but she wanted to at least come face to face with this target. Jeanne Benoit looked like the sweet and innocent girl next door, but Jenny kept reminding herself that she was a Benoit. The woman was the offspring of the one and only Rene Benoit, Jenny's nemesis.

"Yes," Jenny said after taking a couple of deep breaths.

"You're very fortunate to have such a dedicated employee," Jeanne smiled.

"We know," Jenny said in return.

"You know her?" Kash made sure Jeanne was gone and out of ear shot before he asked his question.

"Never seen her before in my life," Jenny quickly answered. They turned their attention back to the sleeping patient. "Where'd she go in such a hurry?" Jenny asked Kash.

"Doctor Benoit has a list of patients that need to be attended to. A bit of creative patient allocation will keep Doctor Benoit busy for awhile," Kash explained. He figured that the more he helped to keep this conspiracy going and hid. Well, then the less chance he'd get the raw end of the deal if things went south. He needed to be smart while this played out.

"Director?" Tony had just opened his eyes. He saw the director and then whispered in surprise with his hoarse voice.

"I'll give you two some privacy," Kash said as he checked his watch. "I'll give you fifteen minutes before I come back."

Jenny nodded as she closed the door when Kash left. She looked down at Tony who seemed to be lying, helplessly trapped by an IV and antibiotic bag and hooked to a monitor. He also had a Foley attached to the side of the bed. He looked very pale with dark circles under his eyes that gave away how tired he was.

"How are you Tony? Really," Jenny asked the younger man.

Tony knew the tone. It was good to be able to break the charade even if it was for a quarter of an hour. "I think I've finally got myself under control," Tony said confidently as he took a drink of water. "I've managed to keep my mouth shut a lot," Tony offered a smile.

"I wasn't talking about the op Tony. How are you feeling?" Jenny stood next to the bed with her arms folded.

"I'm feeling fine actually," Tony lied. It was what he always did when somebody asked him about his health. "I think I should be out in a few days," he did smile at that thought and then changed the subject to one he was worried about.

"How has Gibbs been?" Tony asked.

"He's been snorting fire," Jenny answered truthfully. Only three days had passed and with Gibbs not being able to get in contact with his Senior Field Agent really rubbed him the wrong way. Along with the excuse that the director had given the older man, made his gut churn even more. All this tied together made the lead agent even harder to get along with. Jenny again smiled to herself about how well she knew Gibbs and the thoughts lay behind his actions.

"I had to give an excuse of Surveillance Training at Quantico. I've got a temporary agent filling in," Jenny chuckled slightly. She felt badly for the poor temporary agent that was getting the down fall of Gibbs temper.

"Oh, he'll love that," Tony coughed harshly. "Getting trained in Surveillance Techniques huh?" That sounded like a poor excuse and easily confirmed as truth or fiction.

"Don't worry about that," Jenny responded. She wanted to set his mind at ease. It was obvious to her that Tony was having a tough time keeping his cover. Over the last couple of days she seriously thought about pulling him out, but decided to push the envelope to see if she could keep Tony in place.

"How many favors have you called in to keep me in place?" Tony asked. There were probably more that he didn't have any idea about.

"Only a couple," Jenny answered. She hadn't even scratched the surface. "I've got to get going. Just remember that you're doing fine, Tony. You really are," she gave a reassuring smile. Even though Tony was really feeling sick, his first thought was for the operation. Yes, Tony was a dedicated agent and she knew when putting him in place that he'd do the job better than anyone else could. Jenny marveled at this many times since he'd taken on the op before Jethro had come back.

"Of course," Tony gave a small wave.

"I'll have a talk with Kash on my way out and you just rest," Jenny ordered. The fifteen minutes seemed to pass in a flash. There was a tentative knock at the door before it opened. "Welcome back Kash," Jenny said to the doctor.

"Thanks. I want to give Mister DiNardo here a once over… He's still not looking good and I've DCed the antibiotic he is on now and changed it to a stronger one. That should help immensely," Kash told Jenny and her agent. His patient looked like he needed uninterrupted rest. Tony needed a period of time where he could rest and not worry about accidentally blowing his cover. "I'd appreciate it if you leave now, Jenny. Let Tony get some sleep," Kash gave her an apologetic shrug.

"Understood Doctor," Jenny responded. "I'll catch up with you, Tony. Keep up the good work, Kash," she smiled at Tony and then gave a light pat on Kash's shoulder.

"Thanks," Kash answered as he began his checkup.

"Talk to you later, Jenny," Tony answered her back as she left the room. He began to watch the Doctor as he thoroughly checked the IV, its rate and closed off the smaller bag of antibiotics. "I'm sure it's all in place," Tony said. He had seen so many movies where some doctor began fiddling with the IV, maybe injecting some lethal dose into the port.

"Just relax," Kash told him. "Your breathing sounds highly irregular still. I'm going to feed you oxygen for awhile," Kash explained what he was doing. He put on the nose canula and then turned the knob for the oxygen to give his patient 6 liters of O2. He then wrote down the new orders for Tony's treatment. He patted Tony's shoulder. "This will make it easier for you to breathe and the nurse will be in to change your antibiotic in a few minutes and take your vitals. Now try and get some much needed sleep." Kash finished his explanations along with a friendly order of rest before he started to walk out.

"That's easy for you to say, with nurses coming in every hour to take my vitals and waking me." Tony grumbled.

Kash smiled at his patient. "I'll tell them to be extra quiet so they won't disturb you too much," he said to Tony.

Tony felt like he was getting nowhere fast. He didn't feel like he was getting better. He had watched as the Doctor had worked and listened to what he said. He hoped the new antibiotics would do the trick. He remembered the orders of rest. He felt tired, drained even, when his half lidded eyes finally closed and sleep dragged him away.

* * *

_**Hospital Corridor**_

"Jen," Jeanne's voice stopped Jenny in her tracks. "There's something I want to ask you. It's about a woman named Kate," Jeanne stood in front of her.

"Oh Kate?" Jenny blinked. She thought that if Jeanne knew something, she wouldn't stop until she found an answer that satisfied her. Jenny decided to feed her a little information to squash her hunger.

"Yes…" Jeanne prodded. She wasn't in the mood to go around in circles. Her caseload was heavy and it felt like she'd been awake for hours.

"They were close colleagues. Very close. The kind of people that were there for each other when they were needed," Jenny answered.

"Anything happened between them?" Jeanne asked. She needed to know, needed answers and hoped this woman could help. Then this would help her understand Tony better and help their relationship.

"To the best of my knowledge, there wasn't enough time for anything to happen," Jenny answered. The NICS Director feigned a sad face. Though Jenny had never met Kate she could still remember how to act undercover and used this with the young woman

"I think Kate died before anything could happen," Jenny continued.

"That's sad to hear," Jeanne responded. "Thanks. Thank you for being honest," she said.

"I have no reason to lie to you, Doctor Benoit," Jenny said to her. "Do us a favor and look after him while he's sick. Tony DiNardo has a habit of trying to show that he's not sick," she explained. "Sometimes you have to be forceful."

Jeanne nodded. "I know. I've been learning that lately. But it's good to know that he has people at work who care about him," she said before leaving the area. It was good to know a little snippet of Tony's life. That way she'd be able to help and know him better. He was definitely an enigma.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A Doctor's Love**_

Tony wasn't sure what was going on. There was a foggy memory of clouds, sky and people. Was he awake or asleep? He wondered or did it even matter? He remembered seeing Jeanne, the doctor and some nurses check him over. The morning sun attempted to break through the shades. Tony rubbed his face, he felt hungover and still tired. His mind still foggy... Did he suffer another fever? Was that why his memory was so fuzzy? Tony shook his head to clear it and the doctor soon came into focus. He cursed himself. Now he wondered in his fuzzy mind if he were being given drugs. He assessed how his mind and body felt. He knew how the drugs felt in his system from being in the hospital before. After a few minutes he still wasn't positive drugs were given to him. Tony tried to remember when he started to feel this way. Instead, every recent memory seemed to meld into the next.

"Did you give me something?" Tony asked Doctor Rodgers who stood at the foot of the bed as he wrote notes in Tony's chart.

"I wouldn't do that," Kash said, too intent on what he was doing to look up. He checked the monitors along with other equipment as he spoke. "Suppressing your respiratory system in the state it's in could do more harm than good," Kash told him.

"Ya, Right," Tony responded. How could he have forgotten that tidbit of information? "Well thank you, Doctor Rodgers," he said.

"How are you feeling, Tony?" Kash gave a smile. He decided to get the story from his patient.

"I feel fine," Tony gave him self another quick once over. His throat was raw and sore. Also, he felt like he had a hangover and, he was extremely tire even though it felt like he had slept for ages. "Just a little tired," Tony added.

"Feeling like you overslept there, Tony?" Jeanne teased as she entered the room and kissed Tony on the cheek. Kash enjoyed their interaction. They seemed to really click. Even if one half of this couple was a lie.

Tony nodded. He sat up a bit so he could speak and be eye level with Jeanne. She read through the chart that Kash handed her. Tony's temperature had broken and gone back to normal during the night. "I don't blame you for feeling like you've overslept... You've been asleep for almost fourteen hours," Jeanne explained. She had been worried about that. The doctor in her knew that his overtaxed body needed the sleep to heal.

"That long?" Tony couldn't think of any time that he had slept for that long. Not even his old frat parties had worn him out like this. At least now he felt in full control of his mind.

"Yeah that long," Jeanne confirmed. "So don't BS me Tony... How are you feeling?" Her blue eyes did more to threaten than any words could do.

"I feel better," Tony smiled. Those blue eyes seemed to always make him stand at attention. It was usually from Gibbs and now it was from Jeanne. That thought made him cringe a bit. It was kind of funny that many influences in his life actually had blue eyes. "Just a little sore and tired," Tony, so deep in thought, had almost forgotten to answer the question.

"Alright Mister DiNardo," Kash said to him. "Your vitals have come down to an acceptable level... We will keep a check on them as we have." Tony groaned a bit at this, it's was one of the things he hated so much about hospitals. His attention went right back to his doctor. "If they stay stable, we'll take the IV out of your arm and see how you handle a liquid diet," he explained and heard another groan from his patient. "Tony, you have to keep down the liquid. We have to make sure before we start you on a real diet." Kash explained more. "I think if the liquid diet stays down after twenty four hours, we'll also move you to a regular room." The doctor finished.

"You call hospital food, real food, Doctor Rodgers? And I hate that liquid crap. What's with that green Jell-O anyways? " Tony asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll bring in some Pasta a la Jeanne in after you go those twenty four hours on liquids without any problems. But, only if you eat your green Jell-O." Jeanne smiled at the deal she brought to the table. Her offer was certainly a better alternative than hospital food.

That brought a smile to Tony's face. It was very rare for him to eat a home cooked meal. Instead, he was more likely to live on take out or restaurant food. At least he could eat better food as Tony DiNardo. Also this bargain, though he knew it was blackmail, made his interest in the liquid diet and green Jell-O easier. "That sounds better than Godknowswhat a la IV. Not that I like the other choice either, but if that will bring your wonderful pasta, I'll do it," Tony smiled.

"I'll let you two discuss menus," Kash excused himself and gave a temporarily farewell to Doctor Benoit and Tony. He sighed with relief. Tony had gotten the rest that he needed which helped towards his recovery. Even though it was an awful thought, he'd be glad when this patient was out of his hands. There was that favor he'd never have to worry about anymore, his debt would be paid. If he had to ever see another federal agent again, it'd be too soon. Then again, his patient wasn't cleared to be released yet. This meant he still had to treat Tony, but at least some of the stress from the situation was gone.

"That's got to be good news," Jeanne said to Tony when they were alone once again. "Judging by your stats, you shouldn't be here for too much longer," she smiled.

"I'll actually be glad to get back home into my own bed," Tony commented. It had to be better than the overly starched hospital sheets, better than the bright hospital room, the disinfectant smell and the constant checks on his vitals. He looked forward to a night of uninterrupted sleep.

"You're going to be recovering at my place, Tony DiNardo," Jeanne remembered Tony's boss' boss, Jenny, and her words about how Tony would try his hardest to act fine when he was sick. "I'm going to make sure I'm able to keep a watchful eye on you," Jeanne added.

"Oh well, my boss's boss knows that I'm going to be out for a bit. She's given me the time off until I'm cleared by the doctor to work." Tony shrugged his shoulders in mock defeat. He hated to admit it, but maybe the rest would do him good. He had needed it before all this happened. Though he still felt dread in the pit of his stomach about Gibbs reaction to all of this. He had tried to fight the scenarios from his mind only they would come back. Even with the excuse of training or not, the lack of communication with Gibbs was not going to sit well. He didn't know how he'd handle that when he got back. He pushed it aside. He had time to come up with how he'd handle his boss.

"That settles it. You're coming home with me," Jeanne said forcefully. "Let me take care of you."

"Thanks Jeanne. It'd be great to have my own personal doctor," he responded with a smile that was broken by a yawn.

"You can sleep if you want, Tony," Jeanne said softly. The circles beneath his eyes weren't completely gone, but they weren't as distinct as they once were. At least he seemed to be vastly improving. She also knew that could be deceiving. Sometimes a patient would relapse or be on the road to recovery only to have something else start up and bring the original symptoms back on top of the new ones. She hoped that wouldn't happen with Tony. Tony flinched when Jeanne moved her fingers over and over again through his hair. She continued to caress in movements that brought some of his hair back into place, but this was more to comfort him as well as her.

Tony couldn't stand too many people fiddling with his hair. Actually, funnily enough, he mused, he only felt comfortable when Abby caressed his hair. He wondered if Jeanne had noticed the discomfort he felt with the touch. For whatever reason, she withdrew her hand. "Sorry, I just have this thing about my hair," Tony said apologetically.

"Guess we all have things that we get so used to," Jeanne said. She felt like she had been slowly tearing at the layers that DiNardo had wrapped around himself, that wall of protection. The young woman's reason to chip away at this wall was to get to know Tony, the part that he never offered. She knew deep down there was a part of him not many if all had gotten to see. He was a prize catch and she wanted to be the one he leaned on and shared that side of him with, shared everything with. To be that close to one another, that was her goal. Not that he wasn't already a prime catch; she'd seen other nurse's envy what she had with this man. These were a few of the many reasons that she found her self a lot of times with the memories of how Tony DiNardo stumbled into her life and fell right into her heart.

_**FLASHBACK**_

Jeanne was browsing through a magazine in the supermarket. The checkout lines were quite long, so she took the time to read through some unimportant gossip magazine. As always the magazine reported and exaggerated things to try and tear holes in celebrity couples. She wondered if that would ever stop. It seemed that the magazines knew how people enjoyed the gossip that picked away at certain Hollywood relationships. Couldn't they just leave them alone? Her train of thought was interrupted when she jumped from the noise of a loud crash. She was surprised to see a can of spaghetti sauce roll towards her foot. She followed the line of people to find the person it had come from. A young man was frantically trying to pick up all the cans that were on the floor. Jeanne felt sorry for the man who looked like he was about to turn red with embarrassment, so she decided to help him.

"Thanks," the man said to her with half a smile. "I guess I took the wrong one or didn't see how POORLY stacked this part was," the man spoke excitedly. He looked at Jeanne with energetic green eyes and made eye contact for a couple of seconds. Their hands ended up on one can of spaghetti sauce. This reminded Jeanne of a romantic movie or novel. Their hands brushed together, the feel was electric and both quickly pulled their hands away, the cans fixed, all but that one which ended up in his basket. "Sorry... Hey thanks for your help... I'm Tony, Tony DiNardo," the man extended his hand.

Jeanne tentatively took it. She wasn't about to be surprised by the shock again. "Jeanne," she simply answered. But it had surprised her. That feeling that had gone through her body was something she had never felt before. She wondered if he had felt the same thing.

"Ah," Tony gave a smile that lit up his face. "That's such a beautiful name. You have a last name? Come on, I gave you mine," his smile felt almost like the shock that ran through her before. What was it about this man? She started to laugh a little at his childish tone, which she found endearing.

"Benoit," Jeanne answered. There was something energetic about the young man, something that pulled you to him. Jeanne felt like he was a magnet and she was steel being pulled her towards him. _Oh God it's like I'm back in school, only I never remember ever feeling this way before. Not for anyone and he is so gorgeous, those eyes, that smile and the charm. Oh boy I better stop these thoughts now. Oh no, has he been talking to me this whole time? _She shook off her thoughts and continued to listen to this attractive man.

"Benoit? Not related to the Benoit's of Calgury are you?" Tony asked in a jovial tone. She realized he was making a joke that only he understood. But she smiled politely at it.

It was impossible to pinpoint how things went after that. She laughed at a few of his lame jokes while she told him that she was a doctor and gave an example with a story that he seemed interested in. Just when it was her turn to checkout she found she agreed to a date with this man. True, it was only to the movies and dinner and she found it adorable at how excited he was about a James Bond movie. But this only seemed to add to how she felt. Her heart was pounding against her chest and there was something else that went with it. She was excited, excited about spending time with this man and getting to know one another. She found she couldn't wait for date that night. After exchanging numbers and addresses she reluctantly left this man she was so drawn to. Then she remembered how on the drive home she fretted over what to wear. Again she thought how this was so much like being back in high school, which was a while ago. She knew this was different, even in school she had never felt quite this way before. She allowed herself the excitement she felt as she thought of what to wear and how much she couldn't wait until he picked her up in four hours. It was so magical, just like that night was. A treasured memory that would always be locked in her mind.

_**End Flashback**_

Tony cursed at being disturbed once again. How the hell was he supposed to get any rest in the hospital that the doctor said he should get. Every time he fell asleep it seemed a nurse was taking his vital and he woke up. Tony heard the rain pelting against the window. So after he was left alone once again, he gingerly walked to the one window and opened up the shades. He watched the drops of rain as they slid down the glass and put him in a hypnotic trance.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Kash asked him.

Tony started at the voice, but quickly recovered. "I spent so much time in bed I thought it was about time to see if my legs still worked," Tony hadn't taken his eyes off the rainy weather.

"Just don't go overdoing it," Kash said to Tony in a serious-don't-mess-with-me tone.

"I'm sorry I got you dragged into this," Tony flatly said as he thought. He didn't respond to the order the doctor had given, but he had heard it.

"You know, I'm kind of glad to finally get the favor over with and soon it will be off my mind. It's hard to have something like that hang over your head," Kash answered and found his eyes drawn outside as he began to automatically reminisce about what had happened.

"What happened?" Tony asked. He wasn't about to look at the doctor. After a moment of silence he was about to withdraw the question. He thought maybe he didn't have the right to ask this deep personal question.

"It happened almost three years ago," Kash answered. Truth be told, it felt like last week, but it also felt like an eternity, a lifetime ago. "I'm not sure how it started, but I was just having a regular shopping day. cliché, I know, but it was a day just like any other day," he chuckled slightly. Many stories started with 'it was a day like any other' or even 'it was a dark and stormy night' this was no different. "There were gunshots. You know, you hear of these incidences on the news. But the fear of being in that situation and with the realization that you're a doctor and all you could do was watch people die," Kash talked extremely slow. "All the training to save lives I've had, there wasn't anything I could do to help any of them... I didn't know how to deal with it. I couldn't get those bodies, faces of hurting, or needless death where I couldn't do anything about it out of my head. There were a few marines who had fought for their country and the thanks they got were being shot and a doctor right there that couldn't do a thing. I couldn't stop thinking about it. It seemed to take on a life of its own, haunting me with their eyes and changing me. I couldn't take it anymore and I went down a path of self destruction.... Tried everything to dull the pain and forget. Guess you could say I was out to kill myself without actually doing it... I was drinking, taking drugs and maybe in a way hoped to accidentally OD and die like I felt I should have with those other people. Got in with the wrong crowd and lost myself in the process," Kash remembered those days of taking whatever he could get his hands on.

"That's such an easy road to go down," Tony nodded with understanding. He knew what it was like to feel helpless and have those doubts.

"Well one of the people who investigated the crime scene... I don't know whether she wanted more information from eyewitnesses or what. But she found me doped up to the eyeballs. I guess I was so close to losing everything I had built up. But Jenny had managed to pull me out of the shithole I had dug myself into. Gave me a real chance to get back on my feet and back to normal. So, I said if she ever needed anything, I'd do everything within my power to do it. I had to repay her in some way after all she did for me. So I've been waiting ever since to fulfill that promise," Kash told him. "Hell, I guess you couldn't understand," he said.

Tony remained silent as he listened to the doctor lay his heart out. Well, it was the least he could do. "I understand totally," Tony replied. There was so much of that he could relate to. He thought again about the alcohol and how easily that could have been substituted by drugs and either way that path would pull you under the deep dark waters and into hell. Oh he understood alright, he had watched his mother die from it and his father drowning in it while he neglected his only son. He too had watched how he drank not wanting to go down that road. There were times in college with his frat buddies where he drank a lot and had to keep an eye on himself. Along with being in law enforcement, times he'd gotten drunk, what was he thinking about, he got plastered! Yeah, he had gotten drunk out of his mind in order to push a case away that was so horrible he couldn't understand how humans could do that to one another. Now, with NCIS there were cases were the pressure was so much, the same thought a consumed him from his police days and the cost so high. Oh yeah, he understood. He shook his head to clear the thoughts and continued to listen to the doctor bear his soul.

"I actually believe you do, Tony," Kash said, as he thought about what this man did for a living. There something depressing about the grey skies and the rain that fell. "You're a real mystery, but I won"t get into that. I feel better, so let's drop this. Now, you really should get back into bed," Kash suggested kindly.

"You know, a lot of people say that," Tony just smiled as he climbed back into bed unsteadily. Tony mulled over what the doctor had told him and how he felt about that. He had to smile when the doctor had said he was a mystery and wouldn't get into it. This wasn't the first time he'd heard that, people had told him that before. It was better anyway to drop a conversation about him self, because Tony wouldn't have told the doctor anything. Well, at least the doctor felt better telling someone and now Tony understood why the doctor had worked so hard to cover for him. How Kash Rodgers kept Tony's secrets, because the doctor not only owed Jenny, but also had secrets of his own. He felt more relaxed now that he no longer had to think about the reason why Kash had covered for him. All Tony had to do now was concentrate on how to keep his two identities separate. To him the rain was washing away those doubts of how to keep his cover. Yes, things were beginning to look better.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Love includes Jell-O**_

Tony sighed as he watched the green blob of Jell-O with trepidation. He poked it with the fork and watched it wobble. Jeanne rolled her eyes and just waited for him to eat it. "It doesn't look too bad," she said. She shook her head when Tony offered it to her.

Tony cocked his head as he looked at Jeanne, "Easy for you to say, you're not the one that has to eat this blob of green." After he said that a picture came to his mind. He continued in an eerie voice, "I'm afraid that if I touch it, it'll swallow me up and grow bigger and bigger… It'll go through the hospital and slowly get bigger and bigger as it devours people," Tony wove his tale with a smile. The only reason he would even eat it was the promise that Jeanne made of some home cooked meals.

"What?" Jeanne asked.

"The Blob, a 1958 classic B-Grade horror… If you can call it horror. Starred Steve McQueen. A meteorite crashes to Earth and the alien is a blob that eats people and grows to a gigantic size, devouring anything in its path," Tony explained. "Unfortunately, they did sequels. The remake in the 80s kind of sucked too," he added.

Jeanne shook her head. Tony DiNardo and movies were like ham and cheese or peanut butter and jelly. They just went together. "I saw that movie. The Blob was pink so shut up," Jeanne tapped his arm and teased him while she laughed.

"You know… They could do a remake of The Blob and model it after Hospital's deadly green Jell-O… Arrggghhhh!" Tony poked the Jell-O with his finger. "Its got me… Run for your life. Save yourself!" Tony said in a mocking tone as he joked.

Jeanne couldn't help but laugh even more. "I see you're feeling better," she said.

When they first met, spoke and shared things about one another she had told him about being a doctor. Tony had explained to her that he worked as a film professor at a local college and took films very seriously. She then figured there would be times he'd refer to movies, especially since he said how much he loved his job which was perfect for a movie buff like him. Later, she found out just how much he incorporated movie references along with actors, directors and at times other things about the movie into a conversation. This happened more than just once in a while. She rolled her eyes at one of the many obscure movie references he used. She found most of the time it was endearing and made her laugh. Though there were times that it got on her nerves, but it wasn't often.

Tony smiled in return. He was in a damn rush to get out of the hospital and back at work. That was where he could fully be Tony DiNozzo instead of this half and half version of his cover. He had never had someone that deeply cared for him and he felt strangely attracted to this prospect. He had adopted a love them and leave them style over the years instead of being abandoned and really didn't know how to have a relationship anyway. This was new to him even though it_ was_ a cover op. He was forced to stay with Jeanne and it surprised him that he liked her attention. It also surprised him how she stayed at the hospital with him, not because she had to, but because she wanted to. This was strangely new for Tony to have someone care so much about him and made him feel special. He felt hell would freeze over before he met another woman like this…

But here she was.

"What?" Jeanne asked. Tony hadn't even realized he was staring at her.

"Was just admiring your blue eyes," Tony said. "You know they look better than green…" He was quickly interrupted by Jeanne once again.

"You have beautiful green eyes," Jeanne responded quickly, her voice held in it how she adored him and tenderness of growing feelings.

Tony snickered a little, "Jell-O… But thank you," He had to lighten up the emotions in the room with the only way he knew how, "You think that this Jell-O matches my eyes?"

"Shut up and eat your Jell-O, Tony DiNardo," Jeanne shook her head at his antics. "Anyway, I thought you were itching to get out of here," she said to him. Honestly, she was always surprised at how patient's react to the hospital's Jell-O.

"Yes, ma-am," Tony responded with a smirk and a lazy half salute. Usually he hated to be ordered on what to do, what to eat or what to wear. Funny, with Jeanne he didn't feel annoyed like he usually did. _Perhaps I am really sick._ He thought wryly.

_**The Next night**_

It was just out of pure willpower that Tony hadn't spat out the poor excuse for food. He checked his arm after the nurse took off the blood pressure cuff. Tony was sure that his arm had developed a callous from that cuff and how extensively it had been used on him while in the hospital. He patiently waited for his temperature to be taken.

"You're being quiet," Kash observed him carefully.

"Oh, I'm just quietly celebrating the end of the hospital torturing me with moldy-I mean Jell-O," Tony grinned.

"It's not that bad," Kash responded as he checked his watch. "Technically, you've still got another hour," Kash added.

Tony's brow rose at the comment. He turned and tried his best evil-stare at the doctor. "I think you're forgetting who I am and who my girlfriend is," he warned, amused at how the doctor shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Relax, I was just thinking of getting a shirt with _I survived Hospital Jell-O_ printed on it," Tony chuckled as he watched Kash read through the chart while he shook his head at what the patient had said.

"By the look of your vitals, your latest tests and how your lungs sound, you'll be out of our hair soon," Kash didn't really vocalize it, but he'd be glad to get this patient out of his care and out of this hospital. Then his life could return back to normal and would not have to think about this ever again.

"Good… Not that I have anything against you, Doc," Tony said. Truth be told he had a real distaste for any hospital.

"Ah, looks like you have a visitor," Kash said as Jeanne walked in. "I've got some things to do… So I'll see you later," He excused him self and left. There were a couple of other patients he needed to see.

"You're looking a lot better," Jeanne observed with some relief. Perhaps it was the prospect of getting out of hospital that had sped up his recovery or maybe the thought of some real food.

The aroma of cheese and garlic waft by Tony's nose. He could smell a pasta dish. Not even the sterile smell of a hospital could dampen his sense of smell when it came to aromatic food. "Right on time," Tony couldn't help but smile.

"You still got just over half an hour to go," Jeanne hid her smile.

"Oh you wouldn't… I thought Doctors weren't allowed to inflict torture anymore," Tony said as he mockingly pleaded.

Jeanne handed over the plate, some cutlery and smiled as he began to search through the food with the fork. Tony finally took a mouthful and felt more than grateful to taste the meat that was in the meal. "Bacon," Tony said with relief. It had seemed to be ages since he'd had tasted any real meat. The hospital meat, to him, seemed like it was processed.

"I thought you'd like that extra touch," Jeanne responded. "Now don't eat it down too fast," she couldn't shake off the doctor inside her. She figured that that would be as probable as if Tony tried to shake off the film professor in him. Some things were destined to remain the same. And she'd have him no other way.

"Yes Ma-arm," Tony said seriously with the drawn out word.

"Mum?" Jeanne raised her eyebrow.

"No... Ma-arm," Tony quickly corrected and then waved his hand. "Ah, just an English version of Ma-am," he said. He looked forward to getting out of the hospital. But that also meant he'd still have to spend another week away from work. He could imagine Gibbs on the warpath, McGee tense as he walked on egg shells and Ziva as she figured yet another new way to kill him with the paperclip.

* * *

_**NCIS Building**_

Kash Rodgers waited in the elevator. The Director had requested his presence at the NCIS office which made him nervous. Basically, he wanted to cut all ties and forget everything that had transpired. He clasped his hands behind his back and played with his fingers until the silver doors opened.

He walked at a quicker pace towards the stairs where he was told to go. "Watch where you're going," A silver haired man looked at Kash's visitor badge.

"Sorry," Kash responded to the harsh steel stare.

The silver haired man shook his head as he walked past, mutter something about visitors and something else that he couldn't make out. Kash felt even more uncomfortable after his encounter with this agent. He quickened his pace up the stairs and waited to be ushered into the Director's office. He watched a young agent leave who seemed to be preoccupied with something.

"You can go in now, Doctor Rodgers," the secretary said to Kash.

Kash nodded as he took in a deep breath and sat down in Jenny's office. It had been two days since Tony had been discharged. It was impossible to tell who was happier about that... Tony or him? There was still an element of fear when he stepped into the woman's office. She was a lion and this was her den.

"Thanks for coming in, Kash," Jenny greeted warmly. "So what do you think?" She asked him in order to calm the atmosphere.

"Honestly... I expected this building to be wall to wall desks, paperwork overflowing the desks. Basically something like out of NYPD Blue or something like that," Kash shrugged his shoulders. He didn't like the idea of small talk but decided to entertain the idea. "What did you think of the hospital?" He asked her as he decided to play the Director's game.

"I expected to see wall to wall Doctors and patients... Something akin to ER," Jenny answered. "So... about Tony DiNozzo," she decided it was time to get down to business.

"He's recovered well. He's staying with Doctor Benoit to regain his strength and get healthier. He's on the last round of antibiotics that'll be finished by the beginning of next week," Kash would've liked to have given the agent a longer dosage. He figured if he had done that it would only lead to questions if anyone were to see the man with the medicine. He also knew that the director would not approve of that, so he made sure he gave Tony a stronger antibiotic.

"You did really well, Kash. You definitely have come a long way since I first met you," Jenny said observantly.

"Thank you," Kash nodded uncomfortably.

"You went above and beyond the favor. I want you to know that if you ever need anything... Feel free to call me," Jenny said. She liked the doctor and hoped he would ask for another favor. That could be a valuable asset in the future if he did. It would be a feather in her cap to keep the young man just on the outside of the NCIS loop.

Kash rubbed his lip as he shifted in the chair. His heartbeat quickened. He was a doctor, not some sort of secret agent. "No... No, we're even. I repaid the favor that I owed," Kash responded as he rubbed his sweaty palms on his pant leg before he gripped the armrest. Kash hoped she hadn't noticed, "That's it... I don't owe you anything and you don't owe me anything," he told her.

"Understood," Jenny nodded once. "Good to see you again, Kash," she shook his hand before he left.

* * *

Tony was surprised to find he actually enjoyed more of the attention from being mothered than he thought he would. He told himself that he couldn't stand it personally, but it seemed akin to something that Tony DiNardo would like. Even though he tried to convince himself of this, with each day that passed a small voice spoke to DiNozzo that this attention was more than welcome. That confused him, he never thought that he could get used to someone who cared and took care of him. He pushed those feelings down. Now it was time to put Tony DiNardo away and for Tony DiNozzo to come back out and return to NCIS.

Tony walked into the bullpen and immediately spotted the agent sitting at his desk. That was an unusual occurrence. "Look, I'm sorry but I...," Tony began to say.

"No need to explain," the Agent picked a box up that he had and put all his possessions into it. "Say no more," he left the bullpen and quickened his pace when Gibbs entered the bullpen.

"Morning, Boss," Tony said to him as he usually did. He wasn't sure of the reception he would get from the older lead agent.

Gibbs stopped mid stride. "DiNozzo," he said in a low tone. "What have I told you about being reachable?" He asked, swallowed some coffee and waited for the right answer.

"Couldn't take a cell into the training facility. Couldn't call either," Tony explained with a grin on his face. Gibbs looked him up and down before he nodded and went to his desk. "Won't happen again, Boss," he assured him.

Tony felt him self being knocked forward as Ziva and McGee brushed passed him. "Hey," Tony said without his smile faltering.

"I thought you were a figment of our imagination," McGee said as he sat down. "Been so long since we've seen you...," he added.

"So long, we forgot what you looked like," Ziva added to the conversation.

"Really funny, you two," Tony said as he sat down. He then looked up with a smile and said something that he often did when he was gone for awhile. "I knew you missed me."

"Actually it was nice and quiet." McGee gave another normal answer, hid his smile and began to type.

"Yes, we did get quite a bit of work done while you were," Ziva waved her hand around, "gone for training." The familiarity felt good to her and she knew it felt good to all of them. She teasingly put away a box of paper clips in her draw.

"Gear up... We have a dead lieutenant at Costya Parklands," Gibbs told him.

Tony followed close behind. What he said and how his team mates answered told Tony it was business as usual. He knew it wouldn't take long for his absence to be forgotten as the workload piled up. Now he could work on not allowing this to happen again. Yes, he was happy to be back home and with his team once again.

* * *

A/N: That's it. Thanks for the reviews, alerts and almighty favorites. It has surprised me. This isn't the last in my Benoit/DiNardo series. I was surprised at one review though. I find it hilarious that of all the stories I've written that they find this one farfetched.... But I like to thank all those that took the time to review this.


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